Machines such as articulated trucks, off-highway haul trucks, scrapers, wheel loaders, wheel dozers, motor graders, and wheeled excavators are each equipped with mounting brackets configured to receive tow hardware. When a particular machine becomes stuck or inoperable, shackles are connected to the mounting brackets of the machine and also to the mounting brackets of a tow machine. A block-and-pulley system is then strung between the shackles of both machines and used to pull the stuck machine onto ground better able to support the machine or into a repair facility.
While the standard shackle and block-and-pulley arrangement may be suitable for some applications, it can be problematic for other applications. In particular, in large machine applications, each component of the arrangement can be too heavy for a single technician to handle alone. In addition, it may be possible for the stuck machine and the tow machine to be out of alignment with each other, and the standard arrangement may not allow for proper load balancing in this situation. An unbalanced load can cause ropes of the block-and-pulley to wear excessively or even break.
An alternative tow kit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,381,193 of Vaszin that issued on Aug. 7, 1945 (“the '193 patent”). In particular, the '193 patent discloses a towline thimble having a main body portion cast as a single unit and forming a horseshoe-shaped channel for receiving a rope. A tubular rubber sleeve surrounds the rope within the horseshoe-shaped channel to protect the rope from being cut by metallic edges of the main body. A web portion is centrally disposed within the main body portion, and extensions cooperate with the web portion to form a clevis that receives a tow bar.
While the towline thimble of the '193 patent may be an improvement over a traditional block-and-pulley arrangement, it may still be less than optimal. In particular, it may be difficult and/or time consuming in some applications to feed the rope through the horseshoe-shaped channel. This may be particularly true in large machine applications, where the ropes are large and stiff. In addition, the thimble of the '193 patent may be prone to twisting during use, which can unbalance the tow assembly and cause excessive wear of the tow ropes. Further, the thimble may not be strong enough for some applications.
The disclosed tow kit is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.